Increase in Arson?

• NCJ Number: 92760
• Author(s): P J Nyerick; R V Olson; J R Rauch; J J Reinhart; J L Roberts; E J Sdankus; P F Sears; S G Selph; D G Shipley; J G Tucker; R L Wheeler
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Fire/Arson Investigation Research Paper October 31 November 18, 1983

Annotation

The increased incidence of reported arson cases in the 1970's may be due to the addition of arson as a Part I crime in the FBI Uniform Crime Report and the addition of improved training of arson investigators.

Abstract

Fires which in the past have been attributed to electrical problems, careless smoking, and undetermined causes can now be proven to be arson. However, the more recent statistics from 1981 and 1982 have shown significant decreases in the number of reported arson incidents. With Federal funding, since 1979 a nationwide effort has tried to reduce the rate of arson fires in the United States. Agencies which have established arson task forces attribute the decrease in arson-related fires to public awareness programs, stronger criminal and civil laws, and improved cooperation between police and fire departments. Agencies which have recently established task forces have detected a noticeable increase in arson-related fires, but this increase may stem from the improved training and resulting improvement in detection of arson. Statistics on efforts to comply with the standards of the National Fire Protection Association further support the view that increasing standards and training are having an effect on the arson problem. All these efforts grew out of a 1976 seminar, sponsored by the National Fire Academy of the National Fire Protection Association, which produced nine major recommendations on ways to improve the effort to deal with arson. Tabular data, five footnotes, and six references are provided.